310 Chestnut Ave

PO Box 336

Carlton, MN 55718

218-384-4229

Hours:

Monday - Friday

8:00 am to 4:00 pm

City Council Meeting

Thursday, November 12, 2020

@ 6:00pm

 Some Council Members may be phoning in for the Council Meeting.

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save up to 4 gallons a minute. That’s up to 200 gallons a week for a family of four.

Election time is fast approaching. We are inundated with ads for President and state and federal representatives. Our local representatives run a much quieter campaign. Cities, townships and counties also have elected representatives. They can be called Councilors, commissioners, or board members. All of these representatives do the same type of work. I am going to focus on the City Council.

“What does the City Council do?” I am so glad you asked. Let me tell you.

In the City of Carlton, the Council is made up of 4 councilors and 1 mayor. The Mayor is elected for a two (2) year term and the Councilors are elected for 4 year terms. These 5 elected individuals work together as the legislative authority for the City.

And now what does that mean?

It means that you get to select the people you want to give direction to the City.

The council passes ordinances (rules), shapes the City's goals and plans major projects and infrastructure improvements ranging from community growth to land use and finance.

The best part of this is that Councilmembers answer to the residents of the City.  

So what is the difference between Councilor and Mayor?

The Mayor has the same roles and powers as the Councilors as well as a few unique responsibilities. Two of these are that the Mayor serves as the official head of the City and presides over council meetings.

Neither the Mayor nor any Councilor has the authority to make decisions on their own. All 5 need to work together in decision making.

So, I voted. Do I have any say in what happens now?

Yes, you do! You can attend Council Meetings so you know what is happening. You can talk to your Councilors and the Mayor so they know your opinion.